Profesor John Gardner

Textos

• Pasajes Lengua, 7th edition - Bretz, Dvorak, Kirschner, Bransdorfer (McGraw-Hill)
• Optional: access to the Pasajes on-line learning center: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073385239/student_view0/index.html• You also need access to a good Spanish-English dictionary. Several
are available for sale in the bookstore and there are others in the library; such as the Gran diccionario español-inglés published by Larousse, call number 463.21 G753d 1994. A good online bilingual resource is www.wordreference.com, and www.rae.es is a respected Spanish to Spanish dictionary.

Objetivos del curso

The course is communicative in approach and emphasizes mastery of all four language
skills at the intermediate level (listening, speaking, reading and writing) as well as
cultural knowledge. Special emphasis is placed on a review and refinement of the grammar concepts and skills presented in Spanish I-IV, along with new material.

Expectativas del curso:

Exámenes

Exams are given on the dates shown on the syllabus or announced in class; all
exams will include a composition portion.
If you know in advance that you will not be able to attend on
the day a test is given you should let me know. Exams missed will be dealt
with on an individual basis.

Examen oral

As part of your evaluation for SP212 and to demonstrate some of the skills you have learned during the term, you will have an oral exam, which will consist of a structured conversation with me in my office during the final weeks of the term at a time you sign up for.
More details, including format and a rubric for grading, are available here.

Actividades de idioma

You should spend one and a half hours per week doing some language
learning activity other than homework. This could be watching a subtitled movie,
reading in Spanish, writing in Spanish, conversing with classmates or others in Spanish, etc.
Your Actividades de idioma is a diary of these activities. Further examples of possible
activities and a description of the format to follow in writing about your
activities are available
here. Your written account of your
weekly Actividades de idioma should be typed or neatly
handwritten and turned in when due. It should be between 100 and 250 words. No activity is required for week ten of the term.
No letter grade is assigned for your Actividades de idioma write-ups; they are graded on a credit/partial
credit/no credit basis. Only assignments which are complete and show evidence of effort
will receive full credit.

Participación y tarea

This portion of your grade includes preparation and participation. Be Here Now! Using Spanish to interact with me and your classmates is an important aspect of learning the language. Also, learning to speak, read, write, and understand Spanish, just like learning any other skill,
requires a lot of practice. If you're not in class, you won't be able to practice and you won't learn very much. Accordingly, attendance, as well as preparation and in-class participation, is very important and is required. In the case of religious obligation, illness or other circumstances which will
cause you to miss class, please speak to me. Circumstances which cause extended or repeated absences should be appropriately documented if
appropriate and possible.

Daily assignments are either announced in class or on the class
website. Students are expected to prepare and complete all work assigned in class by the
due date. Some, but not all, of these written homework assignments will be collected.
No letter grade is assigned to each individual homework assignment; it is graded on a credit/partial
credit/no credit basis. Only assignments which are complete and show evidence of effort
will receive full credit. These homework assignments are not accepted late except in case
of illness, school activity, religious obligation or family emergency.

On some in-class activities and homework assignments, you may be asked to express
personal information, such as what your address is, what your parents are like,
what time you get up every day, etc. The point of these exercises is to practice the skills required to
express such information; it is really none of my business where you live or what time you wake up. If you feel
uncomfortable giving this information, you should feel free to substitute any plausible answer. Please note,
however, that the answer, if not truthful, must be plausible and consistent. For example, if I ask you to say your phone number in
Spanish, and you give a number of only 6 digits, your answer will be regarded as incorrect. If one day you tell me
your mother is a lawyer and the next day you say she is a doctor, I may think that you don't understand the question.

Make all the mistakes you can!

Making mistakes is a natural part of the language learning process.
It is OK to make mistakes; everyone in the class will do so. This is why daily
attendance and active participation are so important: they allow you to make your
mistakes and learn from them before the tests. Don't wait for the test to make
your mistakes… make them in class and on your homework, so that you can learn
from them before you are graded on them.

Fechas de entrega

All work is due on the dates indicated. If you require an extension for these
assignments you should ask for it at least twenty-four hours in advance. If you
are sick or miss class due to a school activity, religious obligation or family
emergency work will be accepted without penalty after you return to class. Otherwise,
work turned in late is subject to the following penalties. One day late: ten percent
penalty. Between two and three days late: fifteen percent penalty. Later than
three days: twenty-five percent penalty. No work is accepted more than two weeks late except in case of serious personal illness or family emergency.